1. Holly - The Holly bears the Crown
Custom decreed that the maidens present evergreens to the Chieftain's heir each Mettarë, that the line of Elendil might be as evergreen as the holly, ivy or pine.
Still Arathorn remained unwed.
He smilingly took a sprig of greenery from each girl before the Midwinter feast began. One maid stood out from the rest. She carried a branch of holly, scarlet berries adorning the glossy leaves.
"My little girl has grown into a fine young woman since you saw her last, has she not?" chuckled Ivorwen.
Arathorn's heart stirred as the girl handed him the branch. Gilraen was indeed fair.
This is a work of fan fiction, written because the author has an abiding love for the works of J R R Tolkien. The characters, settings, places, and languages used in this work are the property of the Tolkien Estate, Tolkien Enterprises, and possibly New Line Cinema, except for certain original characters who belong to the author of the said work. The author will not receive any money or other remuneration for presenting the work on this archive site. The work is the intellectual property of the author, is available solely for the enjoyment of Henneth Annûn Story Archive readers, and may not be copied or redistributed by any means without the explicit written consent of the author.
